CHARLEVOIX - Fire officials believe it was likely a cigarette butt that someone tried to put out in a flower box that caused a fire that damaged a downtown Charlevoix restaurant early Saturday. Charlevoix Fire Chief Paul Ivan said fire crews were called to Terry's Restaurant, 101 West Antrim Street in Charlevoix at 5:14 a.m. to a report of a fire at the business. Ivan said when fire crews arrived the fire in a flower box mounted below a window had been extinguished by a passing sheriff's deputy with a fire extinguisher.

GAYLORD - The second- floor law offices of Gaylord attorney Murray L. Blum sustained heavy fire damage Thursday evening from a fire which sent heavy clouds of smoke into the air in the downtown area. Gaylord City Police were dispatched at 6:56 p.m. to respond to an alarm reported at Maximum Security, which occupies the ground floor of the building it shares with Blum's offices at 120 S. Elm Ave. Arriving at the scene and seeing smoke coming from the second floor of the building, city police immediately contacted central dispatch requesting the Otsego County Fire Dept.

The fire, said Otsego County Fire Dept. (OCFD) Chief Dave Duffield, reportedly started around 3:55 p.m. in the attached two-car garage and spread into the attic of the home. The garage and attic sustained fire, heat and smoke damage, while there was smoke and water damage throughout the home. Duffield said the home, which was insured against fire damage, cannot be lived in due to the damage. "We expect to hear from our insurance company today, and hopefully we can start our plans to repair and rebuild.

BOYNE CITY - The owner of a gift shop damaged by fire earlier this week faces weeks of work to get it back into operation, but she believes the fire's impact could have been far worse. "I am planning to reopen fully ? the first week of February," said Cynthia Malin, who owns CindiFranco's Cool Stuff at 309 S. Lake St. with her husband, Frank. A passerby reported the blaze at CindiFranco's at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. When firefighters arrived five minutes later, signs of fire could be seen in the attic area above the building's porch.

GAYLORD - A Tuesday morning structure fire at a front, ground-floor apartment at 308 N. Center Ave. displaced renters William Perry and his wife. The couple reportedly were home when the fire started and were not injured. Extensive fire, smoke and water damage was reported to the apartment while the other two apartments reportedly sustained only smoke damage. The three-unit apartment is reportedly owned by Mike Freymuth of Gaylord. A second ground-floor apartment located in the rear of the building was occupied, while the upstairs apartment was vacant.

CRAWFORD COUNTY - Officials from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said six homes in the Simpson Lakes area sustained significant damage from a fire which burned 1,100 acres Thursday. DNR public information officer Ada Takacs said homeowners were allowed back into the area, two miles south of Grayling, Friday to assess damage to their residences. Takacs said that as of Friday morning firefighters had contained 95- to 100-percent of the forest fire which started around 3:30 p.m. southeast of Grayling in the 4 Mile Road area.

PETOSKEY - A fire that started in a house on Sunset Way in Bay Harbor Monday evening spread to a neighboring home and caused water damage to a third, said Petoskey Department of Public Safety director John Calabrese. Calabrese said the call came in about 6:45 p.m. and firefighters were still searching for hot spots as of about 9:15 p.m. "We'll probably be here well into the night," Calabrese told the News-Review Monday evening. The cause of the fire is unknown and few details were immediately available.

The Pellston Fire Department responded to a call of a chimney fire on Marshall Lane near Levering Road about 3 a.m. today, Thursday, said chief Randolph Bricker. "It was pretty much out when we got there," Bricker said. He said a resident at the home reported the fire and officials spent about an hour there. Bricker said there was no fire damage beyond the chimney, no one was injured and no one was displaced.

BAGLEY TOWNSHIP - Extensive fire damage was reported to a residence at 701 Crestwood Drive early Wednesday morning. Firefighters battled the blaze for almost two hours. A Wednesday press release from Otsego County Fire Dept. Chief Dave Duffield indicated his department responded to a dispatch call of a structure fire around 1:53 a.m. According to Duffield, the home, which is owned by Gerald Hermanson, sustained fire damage to the entire attic and roof areas, and smoke and water damage to the rest of the house.

CHARLEVOIX - A misplaced cigarette butt is believed to be the cause of a fire that damaged a porch on a home in Charlevoix County's Norwood Township Sunday. City of Charlevoix Fire Department Fire Chief Paul Ivan said firefighters were called to the home of Timothy and Susan Boyko at 04001 Lakeshore Drive, off Clipperview Road at about 8:15 p.m. to a report of a fire at the house. Ivan said because of the home's distant location at the end of a dead-end road, Charlevoix fire officials called for mutual aid from the Charlevoix Township Fire Department right away.

CHARLEVOIX - A vehicle traveling in Charlevoix County's Hayes Township today, Friday, sustained extensive damage after a mechanical problem caused it to catch fire. Firefighters from the Charlevoix Township Fire Department were called to the area of 10477 Old U.S. 31 North shortly after 11 a.m. to a report of a vehicle parked on the side of the road that was on fire. When fire crews arrived on the scene, they found a Chevrolet Camaro with the front half fully engulfed in flames.

CHARLTON TWP. - A man and his dog are OK after a fire damaged their mobile home early Tuesday morning. Firefighters were called to the secluded residence at 10088 Saunders Road at 7:10 a.m. and were able to save the structure. Charlton Township Fire Department Chief Ron Koronka said a woodstove sparked the fire, which spread under the floor boards along the entire length of the structure. Tim Learmonth lives at the home with his husky mix, Annie, on 20 wooded acres. He said he leads a simple life and was in disbelief as firefighters extinguished lingering hot spots under his home.

DOVER TWP. - An early morning fire was contained to one room at The Inn at Treetops Resort near Gaylord Wednesday. An automatic fire alarm went off at 5:14 a.m. and two sprinkler heads were activated to control the flames. Firefighters with Otsego County and Vanderbilt-Corwith Township fire departments responded and had the fire out within 15 minutes. They were on scene for about 90 minutes. Otsego County Fire Department Chief Dave Duffield said a faulty heating and air conditioning unit caused the fire in the main-level room.

Two people were badly burned at Harbor Village Family Apartments Saturday evening, in what law enforcement officials suspect is methamphetamine-related incident. According to a Petoskey Department of Public Safety release, the department was dispatched at approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday, to investigate the report of an explosion. After arriving, officers located two subjects with burn injuries. It was found that the explosion was contained to a second story unit, located at 1301 Crestview Drive, with minor fire damage, involving the combination of combustible components in making methamphetamine.

CHARLEVOIX - A Charlevoix Township auto repair business was heavily damaged by fire on Tuesday. Firefighters from the Charlevoix Township, and a short time later City of Charlevoix fire departments were called to Featherly's Auto and Truck Service and Repair at 6522 U.S. 31 South at about 5:26 p.m. to a report of the building being on fire. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the eaves and garage bay doors in the front portion of the building. Charlevoix Township Fire Chief Curt Thompson said no one was at the building at the time of the incident and no one was injured in fighting the fire.

CHARLEVOIX - A Charlevoix Township auto repair business was heavily damaged by fire today, Tuesday. Firefighters from the Charlevoix Township, the City of Charlevoix fire departments were called to Featherly's Auto and Truck Service and Repair at 6522 U.S. 31 South at about 5:30 p.m. to a report of the building being on fire. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the eaves and garage bay doors in the front portion of the building. There were no initial reports of injuries as a result of the fire.

BOYNE CITY - Officials with the Boyne City Volunteer Fire Department responded to what appears to have been an electrical fire at the Landings condos on North Lake Street about 11 p.m. Monday, said fire chief Dennis Amesbury. Amesbury said Boyne City Police Department assisted in evacuating the affected condos and no one was injured. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the blaze under control, but they remained at the scene for about three hours clearing smoke and checking for hot spots.

VANDERBILT - Jessica Moore, 16, reflects on the Burnside Apartments fire that resulted in the death of her mother, Mary Ann Moore-Butts, while the community rallies to hold a benefit for the fire victims. The benefit will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at the Elkland Senior Center, 7910 Arthur St., Vanderbilt. “We were sleeping, and I woke up about 2 a.m. because I couldn't breathe and smoke was filling the room,” Jessica said. “I started screaming for my mom and ran for my bedroom door, but I couldn't open it because it was too hot. I opened my window so I could breathe and ran from the window to the door a couple of times screaming for Mom, trying to get her out. Then I heard something kind of explode, and I jumped out of the window.” Awareness of the fire safety rule to never open a door if it's hot during a fire most likely saved Jessica's life.

PETOSKEY - A fire that started in a house on Sunset Way in Bay Harbor Monday evening spread to a neighboring home and caused water damage to a third, said Petoskey Department of Public Safety director John Calabrese. Calabrese said the call came in about 6:45 p.m. and firefighters were still searching for hot spots as of about 9:15 p.m. "We'll probably be here well into the night," Calabrese told the News-Review Monday evening. The cause of the fire is unknown and few details were immediately available.